InSight Mission is going to create History. Here is why

June 1, 2018

InSight Mission is a historic event as it will answer multiple, long-lasting queries about the red planet.

The climate of Earth is becoming more and more hostile towards life and this forces humanity to look for alternate places of habitat if they want to preserve their coming generations. Considering the fact that Mars is the most likely option, a lot of space agencies have invested time and money to explore the Martian surface and uncover as much information as they possibly can. The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, leads the pack by a fair margin in this regard as he has made it his foremost priority and wants to send a manned mission to Mars as soon as possible. NASA is working in collaboration with SpaceX and the Insight Mission is a clear reflection of their intentions.

It will happen for the first time in the history that a probe will explore the heart of Mars. All the previous data gathered about this planet includes information about the surface or the atmosphere. An Atlas V rocket is being used to launch it on its path as it launched from Vandenberg’s Air Force Base in Central California on 5th of May. Scientists believe that it will reach the red planet on 26th November after completing a journey of nearly 7 months. Retro rockets and a system of parachutes will help the probe to land on the Martian surface. The place where it will land is a flat equatorial plain known as Elysium Planitia. Once it lands safely, a robotic arm will deploy all its instruments.

As InSight will explore the Martian surface, a lot of experts believe that it will create history. The team of researchers at the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) of NASA will be using a planetary thermometer called ‘Heat Flow and Physical Properties Probe’ (HP3) to measure the internal heat of Mars. Following are some of the arguments that you might need to know about the InSight Mission.

Temperature of Entire Planet

Despite its extremely cold temperature, Mars has huge volcanoes on it. Olympus Mons, the largest volcano of our solar system is also located on here. InSight will measure the temperature of the entire planet. The readings from HP3 will not only explain the formation of these humungous bodies of fire but it will also tell us how Mars became so cold.

3D Scan of Mars

InSight Mission will allow the scientists to manufacture a three-dimensional model of the Martian crust. The elements present in its crust will provide us with useful information about the formation of the red planet in the solar system. Scientists are hopeful that this will also help their search for life in other parts of the universe.

Deepest Drilling Ever

This probe has been equipped with a self-hammering mole that will dig the surface of the Mars to a depth of 16 feet in order to study the underground rocks of the planet. This will mark the deepest drilling ever done off Earth. At this depth, HP3 will become totally insensitive to the outside world and will show readings only for the slowly-moving fire of Mars. Heat signals will be sent out to the researchers after every 20 inches so that a detailed analysis is possible.

Trembling of the Red Planet

A dome-shaped instrument called the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) is also included in this probe. It is going to be the first ever seismic station that will be placed on any planet other than Earth. It is extremely sensitive as it has the ability to detect the movement of a hydrogen atom. The data from this instrument will be quite useful in determining the geologic restlessness of the planet.

Is Mars Alive?

According to the team of InSight, the geological and biological life of a planet are directly proportional to each other. Heat flow is critical for regulating liquid water under the surface of any planet. Humans need to dig deep if they want to find signs of life on the red planet as Sue Smrekar, a Planetary Scientist at JPL said,

“If we want to fully understand the history of water, we need to look deep.”

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